Just like in its previous ACC series against Notre Dame, Boston College found itself in a winner-take-all game three on Saturday afternoon.
And once again, in the end it was the Eagles (19–20, 9–12 Athletic Coast) that came out victorious as they beat Wake Forest (26–15, 10–11) 7–5, taking a series win over the Demon Deacons for the first time since 2017.
“Going on the road in this league is really, really hard because the league is so good,” BC head coach Todd Interdonato said. “Being able to come here and win the series … just probably another layer of confidence [that] our guys can go anywhere and hopefully pull out some wins.”
The Eagles didn’t waste any time getting on the board, as a two-out line drive double from Kyle Wolff that scored Patrick Roche from first.
The Eagles weren’t done, though. After a wild pitch that put Wolff on third, he scored thanks to a wayward throw from shortstop Marek Houston that failed to put Adam Magpoc out at first.
The Demon Deacons didn’t wait to respond, as they scored in the bottom half of the first when a sac fly from Kade Lewis moved Cam Nelson through home plate to cut the Eagles’ lead in half.
Leading off the top of the third, Josiah Ragsdale smoked a double to right field. Once stealing third, Ragsdale put the Eagles’ third run on the board as result of a Jack Toomey grounder to the right side of the infield.
After Wolff grounded out to put two outs on the board, Adam Magpoc fouled off three two-strike pitches before catapulting a solo home run to left center, extending the Eagles lead to 4–1.
During the next half inning, the Demon Deacons found the scoreboard again, however, this time off an RBI single from freshman Dalton Wentz.
In the first at-bat of the fourth inning, Sam McNulty blasted a fly ball to left center. But it was hauled in at the wall by Nelson, extinguishing the Eagles’ chance of an extra base knock.
In the fifth, the Eagles were looking to extend their lead with two runners in scoring position. Wake Forest responded though, bringing in right-handed pitcher Griffin Green to force an Adam Magpoc grounder that got the Demon Deacons out of the inning unscathed.
After an RBI single by Jack Winnay cut BC’s lead to one, the Eagles opted for a pitching change. Interdonato brought in Tyler Mudd, who posted a strikeout to put an end to the inning.
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth following a double play, Antionio Morales managed to poke a game-tying solo home run over the right field wall, marking three unanswered Wake Forest runs.
Then, with runners on first and second, Lewis slid an RBI single through the right side of the infield to give the Demon Deacons a 5–4 lead, their first of the game.
Facing their first deficit of the day, the Eagles put the pressure on with two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the inning.
After a fielder’s choice threw out the potential game-tying run from Roche, Wolff came up to the plate with his team down one and runners on second and third.
Wolff slotted a game-changing, two-RBI single through the right side, allowing the Eagles to reclaim a 6–5 lead.
“That was obviously really important … that game turned on that swing of the bat right there,” Interdonato said.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Eagles found themselves in quite a predicament. The bases were loaded thanks to three walks, and with just one out on the board.
But Colarusso entered the game, and after giving up one of those walks, helped force a huge double play to get the Eagles out of the jam.
“This game is crazy sometimes,” Interdonato said. “That ball could’ve easily gotten through for a two-run single or three-run double … but give our guys credit for handling it … making a good feed to second, making a good feed to first, completing the double play.”
Building off that seventh-inning momentum, Vince Cimini smashed a solo home run to lead off the eighth inning and extend the Eagles’ lead to 7–5, providing a cushion.
In the end, the Eagles’ pitching staff came up huge, defending the two-run lead and closing out the win. Colarusso and Joey Ryan combined for 2.2 innings, allowing only one hit and zero runs on the way to the series-deciding victory.
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